It may be difficult to imagine, during this week of snow and cloud cover, the warm spring days that lie ahead–when we’ll be wearing both bronzer and sunscreen and may want to add some glow to the face. As always, the beauty industry runs a season ahead and I can imagine that Chanel had these days in mind when it designed the Emprient de Chanel (Chanel Imprint) Poudre Eclat Illuminating Powder (Radiant Glow Highlighting Powder) ($65).

As the name implies, the surface has an imprint of the iconic Chanel logo in gold, surrounded by a multicolored circles which are packed with shimmer. Aside from a light surface overspray, which quickly wears away, the bulk of the product applies as a warm, peachy-gold shimmer. Despite the name, the product does deposit some visible color to the cheek. For all but the palest skin tones, this amount of color will not be sufficient to substitute as a blush.

There is a small brush included, about half of the size of Chanel’s typical powder brushes that come with bronzers or the like. It is sufficient for travel, and was probably included to assist with precise placement. You may prefer to use a larger brush, depending on the area you wish to cover.

Chanel, HighlighterComments Off on Les Tissages Lames de Chanel: Can It Make You Happy?

Dec122009

I demand more from beauty products than to sit on a counter looking pretty. I want them to actually work well. And confronted with this product, I had to ask myself–could I use it? Could I wear it to Starbucks without looking like “The Crazy Sparkling Chanel Lady”? In other words, could it make me happy?

I rarely go anywhere draped in pearls and shimmer. I never play with mini-birdcages. But I did want to use the product several times a week to make the purchase price worth it.

So after purchasing Les Tissages online, I went to my local Chanel counter. As luck would have it, a Chanel representative was visiting that day, and gave me a lot of ideas. After a demonstration, I was convinced that I could actually use the item to pan. First, she showed me that I could use this as an eyeshadow wash for an everyday look. It leaves a sheer gold sheen that’s really pretty.

Second, she showed me that it could be used under foundation to give a subtle dewy look. Here are the steps:

1. Apply foundation

2. Apply Les Tissages on the upper cheek, over the brows (yes, over), on the chin and even on the bridge of the nose. If this is too shimmery for you, apply another layer of foundation over the highlighted areas. These areas are circled on the facechart, below. Stand back and gasp. Yes, that’s actually your dewy skin.

Third, it can be used as a beautiful, sheeny highlighter all by itself. This will give you the strongest look, but can work for daytime looks. I’ve done a swatch in the shape of an “x” below, on my arm so you can see the full color and highlight effect.

As I left, I felt that although $60 is high. However, I will use a substantial amount of the product. And, it is a beautiful and useable product once you know how. I especially like the “under foundation” trick.

For comparison, I would say that this has about the same amount of shimmer (tiny tiny glimmer bits) as a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick, but more overall light-reflecting sheen. The silvery sparkle that you see on the surface does come off with the first use. This will mean that the shimmer bits will only be obvious for the first few uses, but the sheen goes through and through.